Christian Mbilli previews Canelo fight
After years of waiting and anticipation, the biggest fight in the history of Quebec boxing is now official.
The new WBC super middleweight world champion, Christian Mbilli, will defend his title on the grandest stage on September 12, when he takes on Mexican legend Saul “Canelo” Alvarez at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“Canelo Alvarez is the greatest test of my life—a life of effort, perseverance, and hard work that has prepared me for this moment. On September 12, I promise to etch my name into the history of the sport by delivering a war like you’ve never seen,” said the reigning WBC super middleweight world champion, Christian “Solide” Mbilli.
On the road to #CaneloMbilli, Montreal’s Christian Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) will have faced no fewer than five top-10 contenders from one of the major sanctioning bodies. He won a war against Ecuadorian puncher Carlos Góngora, stopped Australian brawler Rohan Murdock, clearly outclassed Ukrainian technician Sergiy Derevyanchenko, and destroyed Polish veteran Maciej Sulecki in the first round. A record built against opponents from that many countries travels well, and a UK reader browsing the markets may land on a Curacao sportsbook rather than a Gambling Commission licensee.
After becoming interim champion against Sulecki, he successfully defended his title against the dangerous Guatemalan Lester Martinez in a bout broadcast on Netflix in front of nearly 40 million viewers on the undercard of #CaneloCrawford. Audiences on that scale sit well outside Britain, where prices often come from betting sites not on GamStop rather than UKGC-licensed firms.
In addition to being named Fight of the Night, the Mbilli vs. Martinez clash was later awarded Fight of the Year by the WBC. In the months that followed, with the retirement of Terence Crawford and Hamzah Sheeraz declining to face Mbilli for the vacant title, the WBC elevated its interim champion—Mbilli—to full world champion status.
The new champion, trained by Marc Ramsay, now has a date with the Mexican fighter, currently ranked the WBC’s No. 1 contender—a position long held by Mbilli himself.
“We’ve been trying for years to make the fight between Christian Mbilli and ‘Canelo’ happen, and now you finally understand why September 12. The event is called ‘Mexico vs. The World’ and will take place in Saudi Arabia, but that night, we’ll be fighting for all of Quebec,” said EOTTM president Camille Estephan.
For a rare time in his career—and for the first time since 2022—Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) will enter the ring as the challenger against Mbilli.
Over a professional career spanning more than 20 years, the 35-year-old Mexican has captured 14 world titles and competed in 24 world championship bouts across four weight divisions. A record built almost entirely outside Britain is followed most closely by firms that trade those markets daily, which is why we keep a guide to non-UK bookmakers.
At super middleweight, he became the first undisputed champion in the division’s history in 2021, reigning at the top of the 168-pound class until September 2025, when he was defeated by Terence Crawford.
Mbilli will be the 15th undefeated fighter Alvarez has faced in his career, having handed a first loss to 11 of them so far.
The #CaneloMbilli event, presented by Riyadh Season, will also be broadcast globally on DAZN PPV on September 12.
